Prayer of the Day
Feast of St. Fachtna, Bishop
August 13th, 2015
"Peter went up to Jesus and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?' Jesus answered, 'Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.'"
Matthew 18 : 21
The Pharisees had 618 laws or regulations. The rabbis taught that people should forgive those who offended them – but only three times. Peter, trying to be especially generous, asked Jesus if seven (the ‘perfect’ number) was enough times to forgive someone. But Jesus answered “seventy-seven’ times”, meaning that we shouldn’t keep track of how many times we forgive someone. We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask.
Jesus was emphasising the ‘spirit’ of the law – the spirit of ‘going the extra mile.’
Prayer
Lord, teach me to be generous – to give and not to count the cost. Amen